Red card left me in tears, admits Rooney

In his new autobiography, the striker explains why he wept as his England teammates offered their sympathy and why he is still friends with Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo

WAYNE ROONEY has revealed a softer side to his character, admitting that he broke down in tears after being sent off in England’s World Cup quarter-final defeat by Portugal, but adding that Ricardo Carvalho, the Portugal defender he appeared to stamp on, “would still be in hospital today” if he had meant to injure him.

On the field, the England striker’s face registered shock and fury as the referee showed him the red card, but in the dressing room he eventually let go. Rooney says he was initially “too angry to cry” after being dismissed for stamping on Carvalho but wept after his teammates tried to console him following the defeat in a penalty shootout.

In his new autobiography, My Story So Far, serialised today in a tabloid newspaper, Rooney writes: “The players came over to me, one by